COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Anschutz Entertainment Group

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings she has had with  (a) Mr. Anschutz and  (b) representatives of Anschutz Entertainment Group.

Angela Smith: None.

Casinos

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what role her Department has in planning issues relating to casinos; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what her Department's policy is on regeneration associated with regional casino development; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what recommendations and advice her Department has given to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the  (a) development,  (b) location and  (c) potential economic impact of regional casinos.

Meg Munn: The Department for Communities and Local Government's (DCLG) principal areas of responsibility regarding planning issues relating to casinos are planning legislation, planning policy, development plans and planning applications. We are working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to ensure that the licensing and planning regimes, though separate, work well together.
	The Department has recently been responsible for introducing changes in secondary legislation to tighten the controls in relation to changes of use of existing premises. Prior to April 2006, casinos were classified as part of Class D2: "Assembly and Leisure". This meant that any use within Class D2 could undergo a change of use to a casino and would not be considered as development, and would not therefore need planning permission. In April 2006, we amended the regulations for casinos, removing them from class D2 of the "Use Classes Order", so that planning permission is needed for changes of use to a casino.
	The Department also has lead responsibility for developing national planning policy. Relevant policy statements include Planning Policy Statement 6 "Planning for Town Centres" and Planning Policy Guidance Note 13: "Transport", and the two joint DCMS/DCLG policy statements of August 2003 and June 2004.
	In relation to development plans, Regional Planning Bodies in developing draft revisions to Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) will need to consider possible broad locations for a regional casino within their region, taking into account national planning policy. Following a statutory process of consideration of the draft RSS proposals, the final RSS is issued and approved by the Secretary of State, except in London where the Mayor is responsible for preparing and publishing the London Plan, subject to reserve powers of direction by the Secretary of State.
	The identification of specific sites for casinos will be for local planning authorities in their local development frameworks, having regard to national policy and the Regional Spatial Strategy. The Secretary of State has reserve powers to direct changes to be made to local development frameworks.
	Local planning authorities are also responsible for deciding planning applications for casino developments, unless the application is called in for decision by the Secretary of State. Such a decision would be made in the light of the Government's policy on calling in planning applications.
	The advice that DCLG gave DCMS, on the development, location and potential economic impact of regional casinos is reflected in the Government's national policy statement on casinos announced on 16 December 2004. This statement sets out DCLG's policy on regeneration associated with regional casino development.

Home Information Packs

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment the Government have made of the impact of the introduction of home information packs on lower-income home-owners.

Yvette Cooper: A baseline study on the home buying and selling process is under way which includes affordability within its remit and is due to report in later October.

Home Information Packs

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library the associated electronic files and documentation that accompany the home information packs PISCES XML Schema.

Yvette Cooper: XML Schema is the intellectual property of PISCES and the Government have no control over it. The XML Schema is only available on a confidential basis to the members of PISCES.

Housing Associations

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 18 September 2006,  Official Report, column 2466W, on housing associations, if she will make it her policy to collect data on the number of faith-based housing associations and their capital allocation.

Yvette Cooper: At present there is no generally agreed definition of a "faith-based" housing association. I have asked the Housing Corporation to look at any data they have on Housing Associations which have policies supporting particular faith groups.

Metropolitan Green Belt

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to alter metropolitan greenbelt  (a) boundaries and  (b) status; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Government's policy on altering Green Belt boundaries remains as set out in Planning Policy Guidance note 2 (PPG2), Green Belts. PPG2 explains that once the general extent of a Green Belt has been approved, it should be altered only in exceptional circumstances. If such an alteration is proposed, the Secretary of State will wish to be satisfied that all opportunities for development within the urban areas contained by and beyond the Green Belt have been considered. Similarly, detailed Green Belt boundaries defined in local development plan documents or earlier approved development plans, should be altered only exceptionally.
	Any proposals to alter the general extent of the Metropolitan Green Belt must be brought forward through the London Plan or, for Green Belt land outside London, the Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) for the South-East and East of England.
	There are no current proposals to alter the general extent of the Metropolitan Green Belt in London or the South-East Region.
	In the East of England, the Government are currently considering the report of the independent Panel which recently held an Examination In Public into a draft RSS produced by the Regional Assembly.
	The Panel recommends that the general extent of the Metropolitan Green Belt in Hertfordshire and Essex is appropriate and should be maintained. However it recommends that strategic reviews of Green Belt boundaries are needed at certain locations to ensure that development needs during the period to 2021 and thereafter are provided at the most sustainable locations. These reviews would remove only a very small proportion of the total area currently designated as Green Belt. The Panel also recommend that reviews consider the potential for compensating extensions to the Green Belt. The implication is that areas proposed to be added to the Green Belt would be larger than the sum of areas removed.
	The Government intend to publish for consultation Proposed Changes to the East of England RSS towards the end of 2006, taking account of the Panel's recommendations and earlier representations on the draft RSS.
	The detailed boundaries of any areas to be removed from the Green Belt are matters for local planning authorities as part of the preparation of local development documents.
	There are no plans to alter the status of the Metropolitan Green Belt.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Convictions

John Hemming: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what measures are in place to protect those whose convictions are based on an uncorroborated allegation that turns out to be false but has not been formally retracted.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	Uncorroborated allegations do not have a special status and are treated as other evidence. The safeguards in place to prevent miscarriages of justice are applicable to all cases regardless of the evidence used to convict the accused.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Expenditure

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was spent by her Department on food and alcohol for its staff working out of office in each year since 2001-02.

David Lammy: All expenditure is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government accounting.
	Expenditure on food and alcohol by staff working out of office is not recorded discretely by categories requested and the information can be obtained only by manual analysis of expense claims over the period at disproportionate cost.

Ticket Touting

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she plans to have with eBay to support the request made by the Rugby Football Union that eBay remove ticket sales by sellers who are trading as businesses and selling tickets for prices many times above face value in contravention of the terms and conditions of those tickets.

Shaun Woodward: holding answer 9 October 2006
	The Government will hold the next ticket touting summit in December 2006. All parties in the summit, including eBay and the Sports authorities are working closely to achieve better arrangements for the sale of tickets for sporting events.

Ticket Touting

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she plans to have with eBay to support the request made by Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board through her ticket touting summit in July that eBay respect the terms and conditions of all tickets sold for the 2006-07 Ashes series by not allowing their unauthorised resale.

Shaun Woodward: holding answer 9 October 2006
	The Government will hold the next ticket touting summit in December 2006. All parties in the summit, including eBay and the Sports authorities are working closely to achieve better arrangements for the sale of tickets for all sporting events including the 2006-07 Ashes series.

DEFENCE

Armoured Vehicles

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to purchase  (a) Cougar and  (b) Iraqi light armoured vehicles.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the statement my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence made on 24 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 74-76WS.

Future Rapid Effects System

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment has been made of the progress of the future rapid effects system programme, with particular reference to the original forecasts of  (a) costs,  (b) in-service date and  (c) effectiveness; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: FRES will deliver increased capability with higher levels of strategic deployability, survivability and lethality than our existing lighter armoured vehicles, with the potential to further enhance its capability as new technology becomes available.
	It is in its initial assessment phase and is making good progress. Strategies and detailed plans for subsequent phases are under development and this work will enable us to define system performance, programme cost and an appropriate in-service date (ISD) at the main investment decision.

Future Rapid Effects System

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to  (a) renew and  (b) extend the two year contract awarded to WS Atkins for the Future Rapid Effect System programme; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: A contract for the initial Assessment Phase (iAP) was awarded to Atkins in November 2004 and was originally scheduled to run for two years, completing in November 2006. A proposal to extend this contract to July 2007 is being considered, allowing the Department to take full account of the outputs from the Technology Demonstration programme (TDP) contracts and also to complete some additional work to mitigate risks that have emerged in the earlier stages of the iAP.
	The role of Atkins in future phases of the programme is being considered as strategies and plans are developed.

Future Rapid Effects System

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the future rapid effects system will be introduced into front line military service.

Adam Ingram: The in-service date for FRES will not be fixed until the main investment decision has been made.

Personnel Emergency Locator System

Richard Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many emergency locator beacons are held in stock for use by aircrew in  (a) the Army,  (b) the Royal Air Force and  (c) the Royal Navy.

Adam Ingram: Around 9,000 personal locator beacons (PLBs) of various types have been purchased for use by aircrew in the UK armed forces. Information on the number of PLBs available to aircrew at any one time is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Agency Staff

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what average hourly rate the Prime Minister's Office paid to employment agencies for agency staff in each year since 1999, broken down by employment agency.

Patrick McFadden: For these purposes, the Prime Minister's Office forms an integral part of the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office has utilised framework agreements for the provision of temporary agency workers at administrative and secretarial levels, average hourly costs are shown in the table.
	
		
			   Adecco  Sammons  Huntress  Brook Street 
			 2001-02 12.70 12.39 — — 
			 2002-03 12.70 12.71 — — 
			 2003-04 13.08 13.17 — — 
			 2004-05 13.34 13.17 — — 
			 2005-06 13.34 13.17 15.28 12.58 
			 2006-07 12.23 — — — 
			  Note: Figures are exclusive of VAT.

Departmental Child Care Facilities

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what child care provision and assistance is available to the Prime Minister's office staff;
	(2)  whether the Prime Minister's Office has child care facilities on site.

Hilary Armstrong: For these purposes, the Prime Minister's Office forms an integral part of the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet Office does not have on-site crèche facilities, but it has family-friendly and child care policies that help employed parents balance the demands of working life with domestic responsibilities.
	The Cabinet Office, like other employers, provides vouchers towards the cost of child care and subsidises the cost of holiday play schemes.

Departmental Expenditure

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent by  (a) her Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies in respect of hotel and other similar privately-provided accommodation (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad for (A) Ministers, (B) staff and (C) other persons in each year since 2001-02.

Hilary Armstrong: The information is not collected in the format requested. To provide a breakdown of costs would incur disproportionate costs.
	Due to the way that subsistence costs are recorded on our system, it is not possible to extract the hotel and similar privately-provided accommodation costs from it.
	All official subsistence related expenditure in the Department is undertaken strictly in accordance with the rules contained in the Cabinet Office Management Code. All ministerial subsistence related costs are undertaken fully in accordance with the rules set out in the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers", copies of which are available in the Library for the reference of Members.
	Information relating to overseas travel by Ministers is published on an annual basis. Information for the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 2006 is available in the Library for the reference of Members. Information for the financial year 2006-07 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the current financial year.

Departmental Expenditure

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much was spent by her Department on food and alcohol for its staff working out of office in each year since 2001-02.

Hilary Armstrong: The Cabinet Office does not separately record on its accounting system expenditure on food and alcohol incurred by its staff working out of the office. This information is therefore available only at disproportionate cost.
	All Cabinet Office expenditure incurred by staff working out of the office is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting.

Departmental Staff

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many staff there are in the  (a) Strategy Unit,  (b) Delivery Unit and  (c) No. 10 Policy Unit; and how many are drawn from (i) consultancy firms and (ii) major accountancy firms in each case.

Hilary Armstrong: As at 30 June 2006, staff numbers based as full-time equivalents for the following units are shown in the table.
	
		
			Secondments or short term fixed term appointments from: 
			  Unit  Staff number as full-time equivalent  consultancy firm  accountancy firm 
			 Strategy Unit 49.91 (1)3 — 
			 Delivery Unit 60.8 (1)8 — 
			 No. 10 Policy Directorate (2)9.9 — — 
			 (1) Figure included in the units staff number as full-time equivalent figure.  (2) Includes six special advisers.

Departmental Staff (Bicycles)

Hywel Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what tax-efficient schemes for the purchase of bicycles the Cabinet Office makes available to its employees; how many and what percentage of Cabinet Office staff purchased bicycles through such schemes in 2005-06; whether the schemes are available through a range of suppliers; and whether arrangements are made to enable staff with disabilities to purchase adapted bicycles from a specialist supplier.

Edward Miliband: The Cabinet Office does not currently make available to its staff tax-efficient schemes for the purchase of bicycles, although such schemes are kept under review. Instead, all permanent staff (including those on loan to the Cabinet Office) may apply for an advance to purchase a bicycle, including specially adapted bicycles for those who require them. This advance is an interest-free loan and payment is recovered from the individual's salary over a period of 12 months. Staff have access to parking, showers and changing facilities as a further incentive to cycle to work.

Dysfunctional Families

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what percentage of dysfunctional families have a lone parent.

Hilary Armstrong: Healthy—'functional'—families create and sustain an environment that promotes emotional and physical health and psychological well-being for their members. The idea of 'dysfunctional' families refers to a broad and complex range of different circumstances and processes which interfere with healthy family functioning. Because of this complex interplay between different factors, it is not possible to produce one simple statistical 'measure' of the number of dysfunctional families. Equally, there is no simple measure of the number of lone-parent families who might be categorised as 'dysfunctional'.
	What is clear from research is that, while being a member of a lone-parent family often brings additional challenges such as greater likelihood of living in poverty, many lone parents are able to function very effectively and to bring up their children to be happy, healthy and productive members of society.

Public Bodies

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress has been made in response to the recommendation of the Public Administration Select Committee, Fourth Report, 2002-03, HC 165, Recommendations 38 and 39 in relation to public bodies within the remit of central Government.

Patrick McFadden: Since publication of the Public Administration Select Committee's Fourth Report the Government have reviewed and classified over 120 bodies not previously centrally-recorded. 22 have been formally recorded as public bodies and have been documented in subsequent versions of the Public Bodies directory, available on a Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/other/agencies/public_bodies/index.asp.
	The 2006 edition of the annual Public Bodies directory was published on 11 September 2006 and sets out information on bodies' remits, staffing, openness and accountability arrangements and public appointments as at 31 March 2006.

Social Exclusion

Julie Morgan: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what progress has been made on the actions set out in the report of the Social Exclusion Unit entitled A Sure Start to Later Life published in January.

Hilary Armstrong: Significant progress has been made since the launch of the report only nine months ago. £10 million has been spent in eight areas to establish 'one stop-shops' for older people with the aim of tackling a range of issues which are linked to exclusion, for example, benefit advice, health, transportation, and/or housing. Five LinkAge Plus pilots have already been launched, in Devon, Tower Hamlets (London), Gateshead, Lancaster, Salford, and other pilots are scheduled to go live in Nottingham, Leeds, Gloucester over the next few months. In addition to this, the Department for Communities and Local Government is undertaking the actions related to housing and is currently working on a National Housing Strategy for Older People which is due to be published in the summer of 2007.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Asperger's Syndrome

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what account is taken of students with Asperger's syndrome when funding is allocated to local education authorities.

Parmjit Dhanda: The funding local authorities receive contains proxy factors aimed at reflecting the distribution of children with learning needs that imply additional costs for authorities and schools: that includes students with Special Educational Needs such as autistic spectrum disorders. It is not possible to identify funding for specific conditions within authorities' funding.
	Mainstream school funding through the Dedicated School Grant has increased by 6.8 per cent. per pupil in 2006-07 and 6.7 per cent. in 2007-08. Funding levels beyond 2007-08 are subject to the outcomes of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent representations he has received on the implications of the introduction of education maintenance allowance for recruitment and outcomes for entry to employment learners.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department has received representations from one national provider, one local provider group and the Association of Learning Providers (ALP). The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has operational responsibility for the extension of EMA to learners on Entry to Employment (E2E). The LSC has worked closely with the ALP and providers and a good deal of progress has been made. For example, the LSC has produced good practice guidance to assist providers in delivering EMA and they have recently funded a Professional to work directly with providers on how to maximise the benefits of EMA having been extended to E2E.

School Meals

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assistance has been made available to Kent county council to enable the introduction of guidelines on meals for pupils.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Government are determined to transform the quality of food in schools and supports the work local authorities and schools are doing to raise the nutritional standards of school meals.
	Kent county council received £804,386 from the Targeted School Meals Grant for 2005-06 and £1,362,576 for 2006-07 to improve school food. In addition, in each of those years, schools were awarded a lump sum of £1,070 per primary school and £1,500 per secondary school, with an additional amount per pupil. The per pupil amount for PRUs and all schools except nursery schools is 50p; for nursery schools it is 50p for half of FTE pupils, to reflect the fact that fewer pupils in nursery schools take school meals.
	In addition to financial support, the School Food Trust, as our key delivery partner on the improvement of school food, has produced guidance for schools and authorities on the new standards and is working with local authorities to help them implement them.

Special Educational Needs

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many statements of special educational needs have been issued in England in each of the last five years.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Children for whom a statement of SEN was made for the first time ( 1)  each calendar year, England 
			   Number 
			 2001 32,470 
			 2002 30,720 
			 2003 28,780 
			 2004 25,990 
			 2005 24,040 
			 (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source:  SEN2 Survey

Special Educational Needs

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of mainstream school pupils have a statement of educational needs in  (a) Gravesham and  (b) Kent.

Parmjit Dhanda: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Mainstream schools: Number and percentage of pupils with statements of SEN( 1 ) January 2006 
			   Gravesham parliamentary constituency  Kent local authority 
			Pupils with statements of SEN   Pupils with statements of SEN 
			   Total pupils  Number  Percentage  Total pupils  Number  Percentage 
			 Maintained nursery 76 0 0.0 76 0 0.0 
			 Maintained primary(2) 8,707 88 1.0 110,190 1,364 1.2 
			 Maintained secondary(2) 8,068 148 1.8 98,948 2,136 2.2 
			 Total mainstream 16,851 236 1.4 209,214 3,500 1.7 
			 (1) Excludes dually registered pupils. (2) Includes middle schools as deemed.  Source:  Schools' Census

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare Bill

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what resources will be available to the body responsible for ensuring compliance with the provisions of the Animal Welfare Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: There will be no single body responsible for enforcement of the Animal Welfare Bill. As with existing legislation, the Bill is a 'Common Informers' Act and we anticipate that most of the routine prosecutions under the Act will be brought by private prosecutors such as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Otherwise, enforcement of the main provisions of the Bill will be carried out, as now, by the police, the State Veterinary Service and local authorities, who will be able to recruit the assistance of other specialists, such as veterinary surgeons, where appropriate. We anticipate that most of the day-to-day enforcement work relating to farm animals will continue to be undertaken by the State Veterinary Service.
	It is not anticipated that the Bill will entail any substantial changes in public service expenditure or manpower.

Cattle (Rare Breeds)

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact on farmers of rare breed cattle of EU regulations on the sale of meat from animals over 24 months; what recent discussions he has had with farmers of rare breeds on the impact of the regulations; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: European Union (EU) legislation requires the removal of vertical column from cattle aged over 24 months at slaughter, as specified risk material (SRM). The harmonisation of the UK's SRM controls with those across the EU, was a direct consequence of the EU's lifting of the ban on the export of beef and live cattle from the UK. The lifting of the export ban, in May 2006, was very welcome news for the beef industry.
	To address industry concerns about the SRM changes, the Food Standards Agency Board agreed to apply a derogation to allow the removal of vertical column from cattle aged between 24 and 30 months at slaughter, in authorised butcher's shops.
	The application of the 24-month age limit for bovine vertebral column as SRM, was the subject of a joint DEFRA and Food Standards Agency public consultation, launched on 12 October 2005, entitled: "Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy: Consultation on lifting the export ban and harmonising specified risk material controls applicable in the UK with those in other member states". The consultation, which included a partial regulatory impact assessment, is available on the DEFRA website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/bse-exports/index.htm This includes responses to the consultation on the lifting of the export ban. Responses to the consultation on the harmonising of specified risk material controls are available on the Food Standards Agency website at:
	http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/srmharmoniseresponse.pdf
	The Rare Breeds Survival Trust responded to the consultation, along with others with an interest in rare breeds.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 2 August from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. K Starkie.

Barry Gardiner: A response was sent to my right hon. Friend on 12 September. I apologise the delay in responding and will arrange for a copy of the letter to be re-sent.

Departmental Staff

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many disabled people were hired by his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available; what percentage of the overall work force these figures represented in each year; and how many disabled people left their employment in his Department over the same period.

Barry Gardiner: The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the civil service by Department. These include data on the number of disabled entrants and leavers. Data is available for 2005, 2004 and 2003 on the civil service website at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/reports/index.asp
	Declaration of disability status is voluntary.
	It is not possible to produce a consistent series from earlier years' data without incurring disproportionate costs.

Departmental Transport

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answers of 8 February 2006,  Official Report, columns 1285-86W, on departmental transport, if he will instruct his Department to take further steps to stop staff and contractors parking off-site on nearby residential roads, especially Down road, Daryngton drive and Carroll avenue.

Barry Gardiner: Accommodation staff at the Guildford site continue to inform new members of staff and contractors who wish to register their vehicle(s), that if they cannot park within the site, they should use the Controlled Parking Zones to the west of the site and avoid the streets mentioned above.
	In addition negotiations are under way with a local hotelier to use some of their car parking area as a visitor overflow area.
	A further electronic notice will be sent to all staff and contractors by 13 October, reminding them of all car-parking procedures at Guildford, including off-site parking.

Game Birds

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1299W, on gamebirds, 
	(1)  what the definition used by his Department for each production type listed is;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the reason for the difference between the number of  (a) pheasants and  (b) partridges (i) reared for shooting and (ii) released for shooting.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has not produced a formal definition for each production type listed. In principle, it is for the poultry keeper to identify the production type applicable to the birds on their premises.
	However, in the case of those production types applicable to shooting, the ordinary meaning of the terms used may be taken as follows:
	1. Breeding for shooting—production system where cock and hen birds are accommodated in captivity, generally either in groups (pheasants) or in pairs (partridges), for the purpose of egg production.
	2. Rearing for shooting—production system where chicks are reared in captivity, either indoors in permanent buildings or in outdoor enclosed pens. The birds may be sold on to a number of other premises for releasing for shooting, or gamekeepers may rear their own birds and release them for shooting on the same premises.
	3. Releasing for shooting—system where birds are held in large pens for a period of acclimatisation ranging from a few days to a few weeks before release.
	For all production types, the poultry keeper is required to state when the premises is usually stocked during the year and is instructed not to include any bird in more than one category.
	There are a number of factors involved in the difference between the number of birds identified as being reared for shooting and the number released for shooting. It is estimated that approximately 50 per cent. of birds are reared on recognised game farms and subsequently sold on to a number of shoots. These game farm premises would fall into definition (2) above. The remaining birds are either reared and released by gamekeepers on their own premises, so falling into definition (2) above, or purchased and brought onto the shoot premises for a short captive period of acclimatisation prior to release for shooting, so falling into definition (3). There may be premises practising a combination of the above, for example, rearing a certain number of birds and also purchasing birds for release.
	Despite an instruction not to include any bird in more than one category for the purposes of the Great Britain Poultry Register, a number of keepers 'double-counted' by including the same birds in more than one production type. This error has now been rectified.
	Another form of double-counting has occurred where the same birds have been registered by the game farm at rearing, and by the shoot following purchase. This has produced an overestimate in total bird numbers.

Game Birds

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many establishments are registered for the annual release of  (a) 10,000,  (b) 25,000,  (c) 50,000,  (d) 75,000 and  (e) 100,000 partridges;
	(2)  how many establishments are registered for the annual rearing of  (a) 10,000,  (b) 25,000,  (c) 50,000,  (d) 100,000,  (e) 150,000 and  (f) 200,000 partridges;
	(3)  how many establishments are registered for the annual release of  (a) 10,000,  (b) 20,000,  (c) 30,000,  (d) 40,000 and  (e) 50,000 pheasants;
	(4)  how many establishments are registered for the annual rearing of  (a) 50,000,  (b) 100,000,  (c) 200,000,  (d) 300,000,  (e) 400,000 and  (f) 500,000 pheasants.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested, taken from the Great Britain Poultry Register on 2 October 2006, is set out in the following tables:
	
		
			  Production type: releasing (for shooting) partridges 
			  Number of birds  Number of premises 
			 1 to 10,000 2,779 
			 10,001 to 25,000 59 
			 25,001+ 13 
		
	
	
		
			  Production type: rearing (for shooting) partridges 
			  Number of birds  Number of premises 
			 1 to 10,000 1,344 
			 10,001 to 25,000 97 
			 25,001 to 50,000 37 
			 50,001+ 22 
		
	
	
		
			  Production type: releasing (for shooting) pheasants 
			  Number of birds  Number of premises 
			 1 to 10,000 6,542 
			 10,001 to 20,000 148 
			 20,001 to 30,000 42 
			 30,001 to 40,000 16 
			 40,001+ 21 
		
	
	
		
			  Production type: rearing (for shooting) pheasants 
			  Number of birds  Number of premises 
			 1 to 50,000 2,717 
			 50,001 to 100,000 48 
			 100,001+ 20 
		
	
	All data are subject to change. Some of the ranges for number of birds have been amended to prevent the disclosure of information about individual holdings.

Greyhounds

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what provision has been made to protect the welfare of greyhounds; what estimate he has made of the number of greyhounds that disappear each year; and what measures are in place to ensure that greyhounds are not  (a) destroyed and  (b) abandoned after they are no longer able to race.

Ben Bradshaw: The Animal Welfare Bill, currently before Parliament, will introduce an offence of failing to provide for the welfare needs of an animal. This will apply to owners and keepers of all animals, including racing and retired greyhounds. The Bill will also allow regulations to be made to promote the welfare of animals for which a person is responsible.
	No statistics are maintained by central Government on the number of racing or retired greyhounds that are likely to have been destroyed each year.
	There is no law in place to prevent the euthanising of a racing, retired or pet animal. However, it must be carried out humanely. This will not be changed by the Bill. The existing law on the abandonment of animals will be strengthened when the Bill becomes law.
	The greyhound racing industry is aware that while I welcome the recent efforts made by them to improve the number of retired greyhounds who are re-homed, there is clearly more that needs to be done.

Noise Nuisance

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fixed penalty notices for noise nuisance have been issued in each year since their introduction, broken down by local authority area.

Ben Bradshaw: Local authorities in England and Wales have the power to serve fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for offences under the Noise Act 1996. All local authorities in England, and any other bodies with FPN issuing powers, must submit a returns form to DEFRA each year, detailing FPNs issued for relevant offences for that period. Data have been collected annually since April 1997 on a range of offences, however, not all local authorities have submitted data each year.
	No data were provided by local authorities from 1997 to 2003-04 on FPNs issued for noise offences. Brighton and Hove council recorded one FPN issued for a noise offence in 2004-05.

Slaughterhouses

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many brain stem samples in each licensed over 30 month slaughterhouse have been rejected for testing because of damage during removal since the lifting of the over 30 month bovines ban;
	(2)  how many over 30 month (OTM) bovines have been slaughtered for human consumption in each licensed OTM slaughterhouse since the lifting of the ban on bovines aged over 30 months entering the human food chain.

Barry Gardiner: As at 31 August 2006, 56 approved slaughterhouses in Great Britain had slaughtered approximately 193,000 Over Thirty Month cattle. 121 brain stem samples (0.06 per cent.), which could not be tested by the approved testing laboratory because of damage during removal or because the operator was unable to extract a sample, had been submitted. A breakdown of these figures by each approved slaughterhouse is available at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/bse/otm/review/guidance-otm.htm.

Slaughterhouses

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of the brain stem sampling process, in place since the removal of the over 30 month bovines ban, is supervised by the Meat Hygiene Service.

Barry Gardiner: Regular supervision of the brain stem sampling process by meat hygiene service staff depends on the batch size and is based on the following figures:
	
		
			  Number of samples  Percentage checked by MHS staff 
			 1-10 100 
			 11-50 20 
			 51 or over 10 
		
	
	A batch is usually all cattle aged over 30 months killed in a single day.
	These percentages would be increased by the official veterinarian at the plant if there were reasons to suspect non-compliance with agreed procedures. They would also be higher if the sampling happened to take place close to where heads are inspected for cattle identification purposes.

Slaughterhouses

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans there are for the future use of meat hygiene inspectors contracted by his Department to work with the meat hygiene service in the supervision and collection of brain stem samples and the removal of spinal columns from over thirty month bovine meat.

Barry Gardiner: The use of meat hygiene service (MHS) staff, contracted by DEFRA to supervise the bovine spongiform encephalopathy testing system for cattle aged over 30 months, will be kept under review. The MHS and DEFRA are committed to ensuring the continued protection of public health, combined with best value for money.
	The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for controls on the removal of vertebral column from cattle aged over 30 months. The FSA, with MHS management, will also keep staffing levels under review.

Slaughterhouses

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what other duties meat hygiene inspectors contracted by his Department undertake in addition to the production and supervision of brain stem samples and spinal column removal before the sale of over thirty month bovine meat.

Barry Gardiner: Additional duties undertaken by meat hygiene inspectors include:
	(i) identification checks in the lairage;
	(ii) traceability and retention checks on linking the brain stem to the carcase and other body parts of the tested animal;
	(iii) health-marking carcases;
	(iv) sealing of chillers;
	(v) supervision of the release of carcases and by-products (including hides);
	(vi) supervision of the despatch and receipt of vertebral column;
	(vii) and the completion of the necessary paperwork to support all of these duties.

Slaughterhouses

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total cost has been of contracting meat hygiene inspectors to work with the meat hygiene service to supervise brain stem sampling and spinal column removal before the sale of over thirty month meat in each year since 2001.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA is not invoiced by the meat hygiene service (MHS) on the basis of a specific grade of staff (for example, meat hygiene inspectors), but for the total MHS service provision. With the exception of very small numbers of cattle aged 30 to 42 months produced under the Beef Assurance scheme, cattle aged over 30 months were excluded from the food chain until 7 November 2005 when the over thirty months (OTM) rule was replaced by a robust system of bovine spongiform encephalopathy testing for OTM cattle born or reared in the UK after 31 July 1996. Some costs were incurred and MHS staff were recruited before the OTM rule was changed. Total MHS costs relating to the rule change to date are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Cost ( million) 
			 2004-05 1.5 
			 2005-06 4.9 
			 2006-07 (to 31 August) 5.1 
		
	
	Estimated MHS costs for the supervision of brain stem sampling for cattle purchased for destruction under the Over Thirty Months scheme, which was replaced on 23 January 2006 for cattle born or reared in the UK before 1 August 1996 by the Older Cattle Disposal scheme, are set out in the following table. Under EU legislation, the UK has tested an increasing proportion of cattle slaughtered under these schemes.
	
		
			   Cost () 
			 2001-02 387,000 
			 2002-03 528,000 
			 2004-05 655,000 
			 2005-06 652,000

Slaughterhouses

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many meat hygiene inspectors have been contracted by his Department to work for the Meat Hygiene Service to supervise brain stem sampling spinal column removal before the sale of over thirty month bovine meat.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA is invoiced by the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) on the basis of time recorded under a series of activity codes. The MHS does not record time worked on just supervision of brain stem sampling and vertebral column removal. However, as at 31 August 2006, the total meat hygiene inspector time input into the full range of controls in approved over-30-months slaughterhouses relating to the testing of cattle for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and the removal of vertebral column, is equivalent to 83 full-time posts.

Timber

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he has taken to satisfy himself that contract conditions for Government procurement of timber adequately cover plywood used in Government refurbishment contracts; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The UK's Timber Procurement Policy (TPP) contains a model contract clause that clearly states that all timber, including that which is used for temporary site works, is covered under the contract conditions:
	'The standard contract condition at Annex A requires contractors to ensure that any timber or timber products supplied to the Government, whether as solid wood (e.g. planks, plywood) or as part of a product (paper, furniture, printed materials), were derived from legally harvested trees.'
	This then goes on to state:
	'The condition applies to all virgin timber and wood derived products used by contractors to perform contracts on Government premises, including temporary site works, and material supplied by subcontractors.'
	The document can be viewed in full at: http://www.proforest.net/cpet/uk-government-timber-procurement-policy/timber-guidance
	The Government are not content to rely only on model contract conditions to obtain timber from legal and sustainable sources. Further measures to strengthen the Government's commitment to the prevention of illegal logging, working with our EU colleagues, and to the improvement of forest management are being developed. The Government will be writing to the Environmental Audit Committee about these measures in due course.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Colombia

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information her Department collects on the operation of UK-based private security companies  (a) abroad and  (b) in Colombia.

Margaret Beckett: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not actively collect information on the operation of UK-based private security companies either in Colombia or elsewhere abroad. Contacts that private military and security companies (PMSCs) make with FCO officials are recorded in line with the guidance on contacts with PMSCs referred to in the Written Ministerial Statement to the House by the then Foreign Secretary my right hon. Friend the Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw), of 12 July 2004 ( Official Report, columns 53-54WS).

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she will reply to the letter of 3 July 2006 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. F. Ahmed.

Geoff Hoon: A reply was sent to my right hon. Friend on 25 July in answer to his letters of 26 June and 3 July.

Delmar Hossein Syeeshi

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice her Department received on the visit of Delmar Hossein Syeeshi to the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We cannot comment on individual cases. All visitors to the UK must meet the requirements of UK immigration controls.

Departmental Expenditure

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent by  (a) her Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) its non-departmental public bodies in respect of hotel and other similar privately-provided accommodation (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad for (A) Ministers, (B) staff and (C) other persons in each year since 2001-02.

Geoff Hoon: All official travel is conducted under the terms of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Code of Management. When travelling on official business Ministers are expected to make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements. Information relating to overseas travel by Ministers is published on an annual basis. Information for the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 2006 is available in the Library of the House. Information for the financial year 2006-07 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the current financial year. The information requested on expenditure for staff and other persons is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Expenditure

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was spent by her Department on food and alcohol for its staff working out of office in each year since 2001-02.

Geoff Hoon: The specific information the hon. Gentleman has requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	All expenditure by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting, and staff are not permitted to include the cost of alcoholic drinks in claims for subsistence while working out of office.

Departmental Gender Strategy

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on the implementation of the Department's gender strategy.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) gender strategy is set out in our response to the Cabinet Office's 10 Point Plan on diversity, which was agreed by the Permanent Secretary in January 2006. I will arrange for officials to place a copy of the FCO response in the Library of the House and to also send a copy to my hon. Friend. The plan focuses on improving the diversity of our work force in senior and middle management. The percentage of women in the Senior Management Structure (SMS) in April 2005 was 14.9 per cent. (69 officers). This percentage has been rising steadily but is still very low. This reflects historical practices and started from a very low base. The 2008 target of 25 per cent. would represent an additional 26 officers out of a reduced SMS of 382 in 2008. This is an ambitious and stretching target but one the FCO is committed to meeting.

Dr. Amir al-Saadi

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information she has received regarding the whereabouts of Dr. Amir al-Saadi; and when and where definitive sightings of him were reported to her.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not have information about Dr. Amir al-Saadi's whereabouts.

East Africa

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment her Department has made of Sheikh Mukhtar Robow's recent statement regarding incursions into Somalian territory by Ethiopian military vehicles; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: I have been asked to reply.
	I am aware of statements by members of the Union of Islamic Courts that they would attack any foreign forces inside Somalia. The UK fully supports the UN Security Council's Presidential Statement of 13 July (S/PRST/2006/31) which requested all parties inside and outside Somalia to refrain from action that could provoke violence.The full text of the Presidential Statement is available on the UN website at: http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/unsc_pres_statements06.htm. We also stand by the International Contact Group on Somalia's statement of 17 July, which requested all parties to comply with the ceasefire agreed on 22 June and to engage in constructive and broad-based consultations to resolve their differences peacefully. We continue to urge restraint on all parties. There can be no military solution to Somalia's problems.

East Africa

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions  (a) she has,  (b) members of her Department have and  (c) UK representatives in Addis Ababa have had with members and representatives of the government of Ethiopia regarding reports of an Ethiopian military build-up on the border with Somalia; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr David Drew) today (UIN 90014).

East Africa

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Government of Ethiopia on the withdrawal of their troops from Somalia.

Ian McCartney: I have been asked to reply.
	My noble Friend, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State discussed Somalia with Prime Minister Meles on two occasions during August. Officials have also raised Somalia in contacts with the Government of Ethiopia. They emphasised the UK's support both for the UN Security Council's Presidential Statement of 13 July (S/PRST/ 2006/31), which requested all parties inside and outside Somalia to refrain from action that could provoke violence, and for the International Contact Group on Somalia's statement of 17 July, which emphasised the need for all countries to comply with the UN arms embargo on Somalia. The full text of the UN Presidential Statement is available on the UN website at: http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/unsc_pres_ statements06.htm.

Iraq

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1989W, on Iraq, whether the eligibility criteria for the second Iraq medal have been decided; and when the medal will be instituted.

Margaret Beckett: The Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals has now considered the eligibility criteria, together with other details of the Iraq Reconstruction Service Medal. Their recommendations will be submitted for Her Majesty the Queen's consideration before production of the medal. We hope to institute the medal as early as possible next year.

Lebanon

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when members of her Department or officials overseas last had contact with members of Hezbollah in Lebanon; with whom such contact took place; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: In December 2001 our embassy in Beirut initiated contacts with Hezbollah. The last such contact with Hezbollah was in February 2005 with a mid-level official. In discussions with Hezbollah, British officials made clear the Government's opposition to terrorism and the importance of Hezbollah ending attacks on Israel and reducing tension along the Blue Line.

Lebanon

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the number of civilians displaced by the recent fighting in Lebanon; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The UN estimates 900,000 people were displaced by the conflict both inside Lebanon and in neighbouring countries. Approximately 200,000 remain displaced.
	The UN has declared the immediate humanitarian crisis in southern Lebanon to be over. Following the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 on 11 August, one of our immediate priorities has been to begin reconstruction and address the humanitarian needs of those returning home. Food and other essentials are now available, but life in Lebanon remains difficult for many. The UK will contribute a total of over 40 million to Lebanon, including 22.3 million for humanitarian assistance and early recovery projects. UK funding has so far helped to provide healthcare, food, water and sanitation. We have committed over 1.5 million to clear spent and unexploded munitions. The Department for International Development has flown and shipped material for six prefabricated bridges to help improve access for humanitarian convoys. One has been erected and plans for the remainder are under discussion with the Government of Lebanon.

Middle East

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evidence she has received of  (a) Iran and  (b) Syria providing weapons to (i) Hezbollah and (ii) illegal armed groups operating in southern Iraq.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 25 July 2006
	Iran supplies Hezbollah with financing and weapons and has personnel in Lebanon assisting Hezbollah. As well as supplying arms to Hezbollah, Syria also facilitates the supply of arms and finance from Iran to Hezbollah. For reasons of operational sensitivity, it would be inappropriate to comment in more detail.
	The nature of some explosive devices used in southern Iraq, including against British troops, leads us either to suspect action by Iranian elements or to suspect Lebanese Hezbollah, which is very closely linked to, and supported by, elements of the Iranian regime. To provide further details could prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of the armed forces.

Middle East

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of what type of weapons that have been provided to Hezbollah by  (a) Iran and  (b) Syria; and what estimate she has made of the quantities of weapons which have been provided by each country.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 25 July 2006
	We are very concerned about the role of Syria and Iran. Iran supplies Hezbollah with financing and weapons and has personnel in Lebanon assisting Hezbollah. As well as supplying arms to Hezbollah, Syria also facilitates the supply of arms and finance from Iran to Hezbollah. For reasons of operational sensitivity it would be inappropriate to comment in more detail.
	Through their support for Hezbollah Iran and Syria are encouraging extremism, threatening the stability of the region, and putting peace in the Middle East further out of reach.
	We call on Syria and Iran to stop their support for Hezbollah and end their interference in Lebanese internal affairs in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 1559, 1680 and 1701.

Middle East

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when her Department first received information indicating that weapons were being provided by  (a) Iran and  (b) Syria to Hezbollah.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 25 July 2006
	Reports indicating that Syria and Iran were providing weapons and other support to Hezbollah first appeared in the early 1980s.

Middle East

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Government of  (a) Iran and  (b) Syria on the provision of weapons to Hezbollah; and what steps the UK Government have taken to prevent such transfers.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 25 July 2006
	Ministers and officials have discussed Iran's and Syria's approach to terrorism and their role in the region with counterparts on many occasions. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials, the Director and the Deputy Director Middle East and North Africa Directorate, met both the Iranian and Syrian ambassadors in London in July to express our serious concerns about the role of Syria and Iran.
	Iran supplies Hezbollah with financing and weapons and has personnel in Lebanon assisting Hezbollah. As well as supplying arms to Hezbollah, Syria also facilitates the supply of arms and finance from Iran to Hezbollah. Through their support for Hezbollah Iran and Syria are encouraging extremism, threatening the stability of the region, and putting peace in the Middle East further out of reach.
	We call on Syria and Iran to stop their support for Hezbollah and end their interference in Lebanese internal affairs in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 1559, 1680 and 1701.

Mirza Tahir Hussain

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations the British ambassador to Pakistan has made to the Government of that country on the death sentence issued against Mirza Tahir Hussain; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Government are very concerned at Mr. Hussain's plight and have made a number of representations to the Pakistani Government on his behalf, at both ministerial and senior official level.
	My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister raised Mr. Hussain's case during his most recent meeting with President Musharraf on 28 September. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary also raised the issue personally with the Pakistani Foreign Minister in New York on 19 September. Our high commissioner in Islamabad and his staff continue to work intensively on this case and to raise it with their senior contacts at every level. Our consular staff continue to visit Mr. Hussain weekly.

Palestine

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent research she has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the extent of involvement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories by (i) JCB, (ii) Tesco, (iii) Sainsbury, (iv) Waitrose and (v) other UK companies; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We have carried out no recent research into the involvement of British companies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. A small trade team from our Consulate General in Jerusalem, comprising two local staff, handles general commercial enquiries and disseminates information about possible business opportunities to British companies. In this context, UK Trade and Investment funded a mission to the west bank and Gaza by British Expertise in July 2005 to consider the potential for business in the construction and infrastructure sectors. Feedback from this visit was subsequently passed on to British Expertise's membership.

Palestine

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of UK obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention as it relates to British companies trading in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Kim Howells: The Fourth Geneva Convention does not relate to British companies trading in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Royal Visits

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what overseas visits are planned at the invitation or initiative of the Government for  (a) HRH the Prince of Wales,  (b) HRH Duke of York and  (c) other members of the Royal family over the next six months; and what proportion of the costs are expected to be met from Foreign and Commonwealth Office funds.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 25 July 2006
	The information is as follows:
	State Visit by Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness (HRH) the Duke of Edinburgh to the Baltic States of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia from 16 to 20 October.
	Official visit by HRH the Duke of York to the United States from 25-29 September as Special Representative for International Trade and Investment.
	Official visit by the Duke of York to India from 30 October to 3 November as Special Representative for International Trade and Investment.
	Jointly Funded visit in conjunction with the Duke of Edinburgh's Award International Association by HRH the Earl of Wessex to Kenya, Seychelles and Mauritius from 7-12 October.
	Jointly Funded visit in conjunction with the Duke of Edinburgh's Award International Association by the Their Royal Highnesses (TRHs) Earl and Countess of Wessex to South Africa from 12 to 19 October.
	Official visit by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester to Tonga from 16 to 22 September to represent the Queen at the State Funeral of the King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV of Tonga.
	Brief details of these visits and other forthcoming royal visits are available in the royal diary on the royal website at www.royal.gov.uk
	The forward programme of visits for the next six months by TRHs the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York and other members of the Royal Family has not been finalised. For security reasons, royal visits overseas are not generally announced until a matter of weeks before a visit takes place.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) will meet the in-country and Royal Household costs for State and official visits. Costs for visits by HRH the Duke of York, in his role as the UK's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, are met by UK Trade and Investment and FCO local budgets. Costs for Jointly Funded visits are split between the FCO and the non-governmental organisations. The expected proportion to be met by the FCO is 50 per cent.
	The cost of air travel by members of the Royal Family for FCO, UK Trade and Investment and Jointly Funded visits overseas is met by the Royal Household from the Grant-in-Aid for Royal Travel.

Somalia

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the new administration in Mogadishu on the stability in the  (a) country and  (b) region; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: I have been asked to reply.
	It is too soon to assess whether the Union of Islamic Courts will contribute to the long-term stability of Somalia or the region. We continue to support the Transitional Federal Institutions, which represent the internationally recognised process for restoring peace, stability and good governance to Somalia. We welcome the fact that the Union of Islamic Courts and the Transitional Federal Institutions have engaged in dialogue in Khartoum under the auspices of the League of Arab States. We urge both sides to honour the commitments they have given in Khartoum and to continue the search for a workable agreement between them. Stability will only be attainable through a political solution to Somalia's governance.

Somalia

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support her Department has pledged to support peace talks between Somalia's transitional Government and the Council of Islamic Courts.

Ian McCartney: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK took a leading role in the preparation of the UN Security Council's Presidential Statement of 13 July 2006 (S/PRST/2006/31) and statements by the International Contact Group on Somalia on 17 July and 29 August, which welcomes the Khartoum dialogue and urges the parties to make progress in pursuit of a lasting political process to restore peace and security to Somalia. The full text of the UN Security Council Presidential Statement is available on the UN website at: http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/unsc_pres_statements06.htm.

Thailand

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how many letters of thanks and approbation have been received regarding the British embassy in Thailand in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many complaints have been received about the performance of the British embassy in Thailand in the last 12 months.

Ian McCartney: I have been asked to reply.
	We have received 77 letters of thanks and 29 letters of complaint regarding our embassy in Bangkok since October 2005.

Visa Arrangements

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what advice her Department provides to holders of British subject passports upon issue of passports on visa requirements that may apply to them .

Kim Howells: Passports issued to British Subjects contain the following note on immigration and visa requirements:
	The possession of a passport does not exempt the holder from compliance with any immigration regulations in force in any territory or from the necessity of obtaining a visa or permit where required. It should be noted in this connection that the majority of British territories overseas have immigration restrictions applicable to British nationals as well as aliens.
	Visa requirements imposed by foreign countries are a matter for that country and we cannot advise on whether a British passport holder would need a visa for travel to a particular country. We can only advise British passport holders to contact the nearest representation of the country that they plan to visit.

Visa Arrangements

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what guidance her Department has given to travel operators on provision of advice to travellers on visa arrangements for overseas (a) British citizens and (b) British subjects.

Kim Howells: Tour operators are advised to refer to the respective country travel advice for advice to travellers on visa arrangements. Where possible, our travel advice notices make specific reference to different forms of visa requirements, especially where this is dependent on status, but this varies from country to country.
	When there is no information, or if it is in doubt, we provide the contact details for the relevant country's representation in the UK. We also make specific mention of visa requirements in the Know Before You Go pages on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website. In it we say
	If you are a British Dependent Territories Citizen, British Overseas Citizen, British Subject, British National Overseas, or a British Protected Person, you may need a visa that is not required by British Citizens.
	Further details can be found on the FCO website at: http://www.fco. gov.uk/servlet/Front/TextOnly?pagenamc +=OpenMarket/Xcclerate/ShowPagec=Page cid=1098377476175to=true.

HEALTH

Alcohol-related Disease

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated by  (a) Kingston NHS Primary Care Trust,  (b) Richmond and Twickenham Primary Care Trust and  (c) Wandsworth Primary Care Trust to fund programmes or services to help treat and prevent alcohol misuse in each year since 2000.

Caroline Flint: This information is not held centrally.
	Primary care trusts (PCTs), with their specific local knowledge and expertise, are responsible for the commissioning of all health services and to reflect this responsibility, funding is allocated to PCTs.
	The amount spent on alcohol treatment is not separately identified within each PCT's mainstream budget and we are not in a position to monitor exactly how this money is spent.
	It is for strategic health authorities and PCTs to manage, and continue to use, the funding available to them to commission services for the populations they serve within the limits of their overall resources.

Birthing Units

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many birthing units have closed in the last 12 months.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not collected centrally.

Block Contracts

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what block contracts for 2006-07 have been agreed between NHS trusts and foundation trusts and primary care trusts for ordinary elective procedures; what assessment has been made of the implications of block contracts for the implementation of payment by results; and what support and guidance she will provide to strategic health authorities in relation to block contracts.

Andy Burnham: Payment by results is a national policy, and there is a mandatory tariff, which applies across the whole of the national health service. 'The NHS in England: The operating framework for 2006-07', published in January 2006, set out the ability for strategic health authorities to agree specific local additional rules for a fixed period of time under special circumstances. Discussions on where these might be are ongoing within the NHS but information on these is not collected centrally.
	On 13 July 2006, Health Reform in England: update and commissioning framework was published. Within this document is a consultation to inform the further development of a national model contract which will be used to procure services from NHS trusts, foundation trusts, independent and third sector providers.

Cancer Care

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provisions are made in Milton Keynes for long-term cancer patients.

Rosie Winterton: It is the responsibility of primary care trusts and strategic health authorities to analyse their local situation and develop plans, in liaison with their local national health service trusts and primary care providers, to deliver high-quality NHS services including services for long-term cancer patients in Milton Keynes.

Carers

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on its assessment of the potential extra cost in additional carer hours for those people with dementia arising out of NICE's recommendations;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the inclusion of carers' time as a factor in its assessment of cost effectiveness.

Andy Burnham: My right hon. Friend has had no such discussion with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
	We published the Department's response to the two public consultation on NICE's appraisal of drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease in March 2005 and January 2006.

CFC-containing Inhalers

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans her Department has to communicate the phase-out of CFC-containing inhalers to  (a) people with asthma and  (b) health professionals;
	(2)  with which organisations her Department plans to consult about the phase-out of CFC-containing inhalers;
	(3)  when the phase-out of CFC-containing inhalers will start.

Andy Burnham: The transfer of patients to chlorofluorocarbon-free (CFC) metered dose inhalers (MDIs) began in 1995 when the first one was licensed for use in the United Kingdom. Many more have been introduced to the market since that time.
	The Government's plan for phasing out CFCs in asthma inhalers is set out in the 'UK Transition Strategy for CFC-based MDIs', which was developed after consultation with all relevant stakeholders and published by the Department and the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions in 1999. It was communicated widely to healthcare professionals in the national health service, patient groups and patients at that time.
	The Department and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs continue to actively pursue the phase-out of CFCs in MDIs in accordance with the UK transition strategy.

Clostridium Difficile

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she has taken since the publication of the Interim Report of the Healthcare Commission and the Health Protection Agency in December 2005 to encourage NHS hospital trusts routinely to isolate cases of clostridium difficile infection.

Andy Burnham: We are actively working with the national health service to improve control of this infection.
	In December 2005, the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Nursing Officer reminded the NHS of the importance of this infection, listed the key actions for its control and highlighted the guidance available. This included clear recommendations that cases of clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea should be isolated in single rooms or in cohort wards. We have commissioned the Health Protection Agency to review and update the national guidance and have added a new high impact intervention protocol on clostridium difficile disease to Saving lives: a delivery programme to reduce health care associated infections including MRSA.

Clostridium Difficile

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures are in place for the storing of samples of those infected with clostridium difficile  (a) pre- and  (b) post mortem.

Andy Burnham: Policy on storing samples is a local issue but faecal samples containing clostridium difficile are generally stored in a rigid container. These are refrigerated or frozen until disposed of by incineration according to local protocols. Samples are not normally taken post mortem but the procedures would not differ.

Clostridium Difficile

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will establish a public inquiry into cases of clostridium difficile in the Oldchurch hospital.

Andy Burnham: A public inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005 is not appropriate.

Clostridium Difficile

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the change in the number of cases of clostridium difficile over the last seven years; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The Health Protection Agency receives reports from microbiology laboratories of cases in all age groups through voluntary surveillance.
	Data for England and Wales from 1999 to 2005 is shown in the table. It is not clear how much of the increase in the number of reports is due to improved reporting of cases, an increase in ascertainment, or an actual rise in Clostridium difficile disease incidence. It was to help establish a baseline that we introduced mandatory surveillance in 2004.
	
		
			  Voluntary laboratory reports of clostridium difficile  England and Wales 1999 to 2005 
			   England  Wales 
			 1999 17,279 1,438 
			 2000 18,812 1,744 
			 2001 20,064 1,599 
			 2002 26,357 1,710 
			 2003 33,201 1,587 
			 2004 40,401 2,114 
			 2005(1) 46,501 1,939 
			 (1 )Provisional totals.   Source: www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/clostridium_difficile/c_diff_reports_isolated_faecal_specimens_england.W.

Clostridium Difficile

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of clostridium difficile have been reported at Oldchurch Hospital in each of the last seven years.

Andy Burnham: This information is not available. However, since January 2004, acute national health service trusts in England have been required to report all cases of clostridium difficile-associated disease in people aged over 65 years under the mandatory surveillance scheme. This is operated by the Health Protection Agency on behalf of the Department.
	Oldchurch hospital provides services for Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust.
	The total numbers of cases of clostridium difficile- associated disease in patients aged 65 years and over reported by the Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust were 648 in 2004, and 927 in 2005.

Community Hospital Beds

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has made an assessment of the likely demand for community hospital beds in  (a) Southend Primary Care Trust area and  (b) Essex over the next (i) five, (ii) 10, (iii) 15 and (iv) 20 years.

Andy Burnham: It is the responsibility of primary care trusts and strategic health authorities to analyse their local situation and develop plans, in liaison with their local national health service trusts and primary care providers, to deliver high quality NHS services and take action to recruit the appropriate staff required to deliver these services.

Complaints against Doctors

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many formal complaints were recorded against doctors in each year since 1999.

Andy Burnham: The table gives numbers of complaints made between April 1999 and the end of March 2005, which is the latest available audited data. There is one table for hospital and community health service complaints with details of complaints by profession. Family health service complaints are not broken down by profession.
	The source of this data reflects complaints made through the NHS complaints procedure and does not include complaints made to the General Medical Council (GMC) or to other professional bodies, such as the General Dental Council or the National Midwifery Council.
	
		
			  Written complaints about hospital and community services by profession 
			  England 
			   1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Number of written complaints by profession 86,536 95,734 93,020 91,023 90,156 90,066 
			
			 Medical (including surgical) 38,261 43,892 42,994 40,819 40,094 40,762 
			 Dental (including surgical) 711 726 723 893 853 762 
			 Professions supplementary to medicine 4,546 4,969 5,248 5,015 4,833 4,514 
			 Nursing, midwifery and health visiting 17,966 18,892 17,908 18,062 19,379 19,308 
			 Scientific, technical and professional 1,258 1,502 1,544 1,609 1,612 1,670 
			 Ambulance crews (including paramedics) 3,212 3,243 3,063 2,658 2,548 2,201 
			 Maintenance and ancillary staff 1,923 2,295 1,910 2,078 1,678 1,925 
			 PCT administrative staff/members (exc FHS admin) 880 1,081 1,015 822 1,086 1,196 
			 Trust administrative staff/members 7,729 8,925 8,319 8,668 7,778 7,619 
			 Other 10,050 10,209 10,296 10,399 10,295 10,108 
			  Notes: 1. Number of complaints may differ to the figures shown in other tables as one complaint can cover more than one professional area. 2. The rows marked 'medical (including surgical)' and 'dental (including surgical)' do not represent complaints concerning doctors in their entirety, as there will be complaints that are not about a single profession (for example where a complainant is unhappy with their treatment by a doctor and a nurse). 3. Data as at 1 April to 31 March.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care KO41a dataset

Dentists

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists who signed the new NHS dental contract who are  (a) in dispute and  (b) not in dispute had (i) withdrawn and (ii) given notice of their intention to withdraw from the contract by 1 October.

Rosie Winterton: As at 31 August 2006, 11 out of the 2,773 cases where contracts were originally signed in dispute had ended with the contractor deciding not to continue with the contract. A contract may be for either a practice or an individual dentist. Information on disputed contracts is collected by contract.
	Statistics on the resolution of contract disputes are published monthly at www.performance.doh.gov.uk/dental_contracts.
	Information is not collected on the number of contracts signed without dispute where the contractor later withdrew from the contract. As for other professional groups, the dental workforce is always subject to some degree of regular turnover.

Emergency Readmissions

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency readmissions to hospitals there were within 28 days of discharge in each year since 1997, broken down by NHS trust, expressed in terms of the percentage of all live discharges.

Andy Burnham: Robust information for each year since 1997 is not available in the form requested. The Healthcare Commission has published information broken down by trust as part of annual star ratings assessments, this is available on the website at:
	2002-03 ratings values, covering the calendar year 2002:
	www.chi.nhs.uk/Ratings/Trust/results/indicatorResults.asp?indicatorId=1026Drafting
	2004 ratings values, covering the calendar year 2003:
	ratings2004.healthcarecommission.org.uk/Trust/results/indicatorResults.asp?indicatorId=1403
	2005 ratings values, covering the calendar year 2004:
	ratings2005.healthcarecommission.org.uk/Trust/results/indicatorResults.asp?indicatorId=1403
	The National Centre for Health Outcomes Development will publish data on trust readmission rates over the past seven years on their website at www.nchod.nhs.uk early in 2007.

Flu Pandemic

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role she expects NHS Direct to perform in the event of an influenza pandemic.

Rosie Winterton: Telephone contact will be an essential part of the service provided during a pandemic and we are currently considering the role of NHS Direct in providing this.

Hospital Infection Data

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons Barts and The London NHS Trust and Newham Healthcare NHS Trust were missing data for one quarter of 2005 in their mandatory statistical collections of clostridium difficile-associated disease.

Andy Burnham: Barts and The London NHS Trust and Newham Healthcare Trust did not provide information because the laboratory information system used in early 2005 could not identify clostridium difficile results. The problem was resolved with the introduction of a new pathology laboratory information system in early 2005.

Mental Health

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the comprehensiveness of the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence's consideration of current prescribing practice in assessing drug and monitoring costs for the prescription of Alzheimer's disease drugs.

Andy Burnham: My right hon. Friend has made no specific assessment of this issue. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is an independent body and its appraisal of drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease has involved two public consultations.

MRSA

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of a possible link between MRSA rates in a given Trust and its percentage bed occupancy.

Andy Burnham: The Department is working on an internal desk analysis of hospital organisation specialty mix and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This indicates a statistical correlation, but bed occupancy is only one of the factors that influences infection rates. The Department acknowledges the importance of assessing the impact of initiatives on the incidence of MRSA and hopes to publish the report shortly.

Neonatal Intensive Care

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether  (a) level one,  (b) level two and  (c) level three neonatal intensive care is defined as a specialised service for the purpose of commissioning; and what plans she has to change how these services are defined.

Ivan Lewis: Level two (neonatal care) and level three (neonatal intensive care) are defined as a specialised service for the purpose of commissioning. Level one (neonatal special care) is not defined as a specialised service. There are no plans to change how these services are defined.

NHS Complaints

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints were made against the NHS between 1998 and 2005.

Andy Burnham: The table gives numbers of complaints made between April 1998 and the end of March 2005, which is the latest available audited data. There is one entry for hospital and community health service complaints and one entry for family health service complaints.
	The source of this data reflects complaints made through the national health service complaints procedure and does not include complaints made to the General Medical Council or other professional bodies.
	
		
			  Written complaints about NHS hospital and community services and family health services 
			  England 
			   Hospital and community services (HCHS)  Family health services (FHS)  Total number of written complaints HCHS and FHS 
			 1998-99 86,013   
			 1999-2000 86,536   
			 2000-01 95,734   
			 2001-02 93,020   
			 2002-03 91,023 42,844 133,867 
			 2003-04 90,122 43,347 133,469 
			 2004-05 90,413 43,407 133,820 
			  Note: Data as at 1 April to 31 March.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care KO41a dataset.

NHS Outsourcing

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the written statement of 11 September 2006,  Official Report, column 119WS, on outsourcing of the NHS supply chain services, what assessment she has made of DHL's carbon footprint; what  (a) contractual and  (b) other steps she has taken to ensure DHL's carbon footprint is reduced; what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of DHL's corporate policies with respect to energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy; whether she has requested any changes to these policies as a prior condition of the awarding of the contract; what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of DHL's corporate policies with respect to waste reuse and recycling; and whether she has requested any changes to these policies as a prior condition of the awarding of the contract.

Andy Burnham: No specific assessment has been made of DHL's carbon footprint. The contract does not stipulate carbon footprint reduction. However, the outsourcing incentivises DHL to consolidate hospital supplies through the NHS Supply Chain. This will lead to fewer vehicle movements to hospitals and thus reduce carbon emissions overall.
	Information on DHL's commitment to environmental policies is available in their Sustainability Report 2006. The report is available at: www.dpwn.de/sustainabilityreport/2006/en/servicepages/welcome

NHS Staff Reductions

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reductions in frontline staff have been made that are attributable to NHS deficits in each of the last three years.

Andy Burnham: This information is not collected centrally.
	The number of front line staff has increased from around 1,033,000 in 2002 to around 1,144,000 in 2005. This is an increase of around 111,000 or 11 per cent, since 2002.

Physiotherapists

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on training for physiotherapists in Lancashire in each year since 1995; and how many physiotherapists were trained in Lancashire in each year.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Physiotherapists

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many new jobs have been created in physiotherapy in Lancashire in each year since 1995;
	(2)  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many physiotherapy graduates on average have worked in the NHS in Lancashire in each year since 1995.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested. The number of physiotherapists working in the former Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area between 1995 and 2005 are shown in the table.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: qualified physiotherapy staff in Cumbria and Lancashire SHA area as at 30 September each specified year 
			   Headcount 
			 1995 513 
			 1996 539 
			 1997 559 
			 1998 565 
			 1999 582 
			 2000 586 
			 2001 633 
			 2002 643 
			 2003 700 
			 2004 766 
			 2005 764 
			  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care non-medical workforce census

Premature Babies

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many intensive care units are used to treat premature babies, broken down by location.

Ivan Lewis: Information on individual neonatal intensive care units is not collected centrally. A list of national health service organisations providing neonatal intensive care services in England has been placed in the Library.

Premature Babies

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies were born before 37 weeks of gestation in each year since 1995.

Ivan Lewis: This information has been placed in the Library.

Prescriptions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average cost per prescription item in  (a) England and  (b) each region was in each of the last five years; what the total number of prescription forms was in each year; and what the average number of prescription items per person was in each year;
	(2)  what the total cost of pharmaceutical payments in  (a) England and  (b) each region was in the last five years; what the total net ingredient cost was; and what the gross cost was per person.

Andy Burnham: The information requested has been placed in the Library. The Department holds data at strategic health authority rather than regional level. Pharmaceutical payments data is not available at sub-national level.

Residential Care

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost would be of providing residential care on the same basis as that offered in Scotland.

Ivan Lewis: The Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) has recently published Paying for Long-Term Care for Older People in the UK: Modelling the Costs and Distributional Effects of a Range of Option which models a range of options for funding long-term care, including applying the Scottish model across the United Kingdom.
	The report gives an estimated public expenditure cost at 2002 prices of 1.36 billion. This covers residential and home care for older people. It covers the whole of the United Kingdom. The England equivalent is about 1.2 billion. These estimates take account of limited offsetting savings in disability benefits.
	The report has been placed in the Library and is available at www.pssru.ac.uk/pdf/dp2336.pdf.

Sexual Health

Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations her Department has received from genito-urinary medicine clinics on levels of funding provided for the development of sexual health services.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 11 September 2006
	We have a number of representations about funding provided for the development of sexual health services in genito-urinary (GUM) clinics.
	It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to determine how to use the funding allocated to them to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations. PCTs and strategic health authorities (SHAs) received funding for implementing the targets in the White Paper Choosing Health: making healthy choices easier in their mainstream allocations and we will be monitoring the outcomes through the local delivery plan data lines from this investment. The revenue allocations separately identify funding to support the implementation of Choosing Health. A copy of the White Paper is available in the Library.
	Sexual health is one of the top six priorities for the national health service in 2006-07. In particular, by 2008 everyone should be offered an appointment within 48 hours of contacting a GUM clinic. SHAs have submitted plans to meet this target. This increased priority for sexual health should significantly strengthen the incentive for local investment and service modernisation.

Standardised Patient Packs

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what actions she is taking to  (a) standardise patient packs in pharmaceutical dispensing and  (b) permit dispensing pharmacists to make minor adjustments to prescriptions to accommodate the use of standardised packs.

Andy Burnham: We are not convinced that it is for the Government to tell manufacturers what pack sizes they should produce. Further, any European Union (EU) law implications of such a measure would need to be considered. In any event, standardisation of sizes of packs manufactured in the United Kingdom would not solve the problem of pack size variety, as packs imported from other EU countries could be of any size.
	A consultation on simplification of reimbursement arrangements for national health service dispensing contractors was issued last year. This included measures designed to further promote patient pack dispensing such as allowing pharmacists a limited dispensing discretion with regard to the quantity prescribed to be able to dispense a full patient pack on more occasions. We are currently considering responses to this consultation.

Tuberculosis Action Plan

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of implementation of the recommendations of the Chief Medical Officer's TB Action Plan.

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of progress towards the Chief Medical Officer's targets of  (a) a two per cent. reduction per year in rates of tuberculosis in population groups born in England and  (b) a reduction in the incidence of tuberculosis among people who entered the country and became resident here within the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The Chief Medical Officer's action plan for tuberculosis (TB) was launched in October 2004 and the Department has been developing a toolkit to help the national health service to implement the key points of the action plan through effective commissioning and delivery of services. The toolkit provides models of good practice for laboratory services and surveillance as well as service delivery and is expected to be finished by December 2006. TB services should always follow the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guidelines, published in March 2006, when treating patients. We will be working with the Healthcare Commission to ensure that TB services are monitored. Changes in TB services in the NHS will take time to come into operation and it is too early to assess the impact of the action plan or whether the targets are being achieved.

Travel to Hospitals

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial help is available to those who wish to travel a long distance to visit relatives in hospitals; and what steps she is taking to publicise this financial help amongst patients.

Andy Burnham: Help with costs to visit someone who is ill may be available in the form of community care grant from the social fund. In order to qualify, the applicant must be in receipt of Income Support, income-based jobseekers allowance or pension credit. The community care grant scheme is cash limited and applications are prioritised to ensure the funding available supports those in the most need.
	The Department for Work and Pensions is responsible for the community care grant. Information about the grant is available from Jobcentre Plus. Patients may also receive this information from pension centres if they are a pensioner, or from the national health service through patient advice and liaison services. These services are based in NHS trusts and aim to provide confidential advice and support to patients, families and their carers with information on the NHS or health-related matters. They can also signpost further sources of information.

Waiting Times

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will intervene on behalf of Mr. Neil Darby of St. Albans, who has waited longer than the Government target of 24 weeks for a Hartmann's reversal operation.

Andy Burnham: It is the responsibility of local health services to ensure that there are fair and acceptable local standards governing access to services.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Kent Police (Cautions)

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of cautions issued by Kent county constabulary in each of the past five years were for  (a) first offences,  (b) second offences and  (c) third or subsequent offences.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Data from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform for the number of people convicted of fraud in  (a) Brent and  (b) London in each year since 1997 can be found in the following table.
	Data for 2005 will be available in November.
	
		
			  Number of defendants convicted at all courts, for offences relating to fraud in Brent, 1997 to 2004( 1,2) 
			  Offence class  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Frauds by company directors, etc(3) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 False accounting(4) 11 24 23 13 5 4 7 5 
			 Other fraud(5) 57 74 135 100 112 118 104 133 
			 Total 68 98 158 113 117 122 111 138 
			 (1.)These data are provided on the principal offence basis  (2.)Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  (3.)Includes the following: False statements by company directors, etc, Other fraud by a company director, and giving false information for Confidentiality Order, or providing confidential information in breach of the regulations under S.723C  (4.)Includes the following: False accounting, failing to keep proper accounting records, authorising failure to keep proper accounting of records, permitting failure to keep proper accounts, failing to keep proper accounts, failing to secure preservation of accounting records, and, failing to keep accounting records open to inspection.  (5.)Includes the following: Obtaining property by deception, Obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception, Conspiracy to defraud. Purporting to act as a spiritualistic medium for reward, Taking marks from HM property in any store, Fraudulent issue of money order by Post Office servant. Fraudulently retaining, secreting, etc. postal packet or mail bag, Fraudulently printing, mutilating or re-issuing stamp. Frauds by farmers in connection with agricultural charge, Cheating at play, etc. Dishonestly destroying, defacing or concealing a document. Dishonestly procuring execution of a document. Railway frauds, Frauds in connection with sale of land, etc.(triable only on indictment). Frauds in connection with sale of land, etc.(triable-either-way). Obtaining services by deception (except railway frauds). Evasion of liability by deception (except railway frauds). Making off without payment. Assisting another to retain the benefit of criminal conduct. Acquisition, possession or use of proceeds of criminal conduct. Concealing or transferring proceeds of criminal conduct. Disclosure of information likely to prejudice an investigation. Insider dealing. Obtaining a money transfer by deception. Dishonestly retaining a wrongful credit. Dishonest representation for obtaining benefit etc. Unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate commission of further offences. Unauthorised modification of computer material. Knowingly concerned in fraudulent evasion of contributions. Cartel offences. Corrupt transactions with agents. Other fraud.  Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform Our Ref: PQ 222-06 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of defendants convicted at all courts, for offences relating to fraud in London, 1997 to 2004( 1,2) 
			  Offence class  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Frauds by company directors, etc(3) 5 1200 605 305 30 0 0 0 
			 False accounting(4) 345 428 412 316 179 186 186 209 
			 Other fraud(5) 2,282 2,452 2,417 2,506 2,386 2,577 2,532 2,459 
			 Total 2,632 2,892 2,829 2,828 2,570 2,766 2,723 2,671 
			 (1.)These data are provided on the principal offence basis  (2.)Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  (3.)Includes the following: False statements by company directors, etc, Other fraud by a company director, and giving false information for Confidentiality Order, or providing confidential information in breach of the regulations under S.723C  (4.)Includes the following: False accounting, failing to keep proper accounting records, authorising failure to keep proper accounting of records, permitting failure to keep proper accounts, failing to keep proper accounts, failing to secure preservation of accounting records, and, failing to keep accounting records open to inspection.  (5.)Includes the following: Obtaining property by deception, Obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception, Conspiracy to defraud. Purporting to act as a spiritualistic medium for reward, Taking marks from HM property in any store, Fraudulent issue of money order by Post Office servant. Fraudulently retaining, secreting, etc. postal packet or mail bag, Fraudulently printing, mutilating or re-issuing stamp. Frauds by farmers in connection with agricultural charge, Cheating at play, etc. Dishonestly destroying, defacing or concealing a document. Dishonestly procuring execution of a document. Railway frauds, Frauds in connection with sale of land, etc.(triable only on indictment). Frauds in connection with sale of land, etc.(triable-either-way). Obtaining services by deception (except railway frauds). Evasion of liability by deception (except railway frauds). Making off without payment. Assisting another to retain the benefit of criminal conduct. Acquisition, possession or use of proceeds of criminal conduct. Concealing or transferring proceeds of criminal conduct. Disclosure of information likely to prejudice an investigation. Insider dealing. Obtaining a money transfer by deception. Dishonestly retaining a wrongful credit. Dishonest representation for obtaining benefit etc. Unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate commission of further offences. Unauthorised modification of computer material. Knowingly concerned in fraudulent evasion of contributions. Cartel offences. Corrupt transactions with agents. Other fraud.   Source: RDS Office for Criminal Justice Reform Our Ref: PQ 222-06

Motorcycling

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost to local authorities of purchasing specialist equipment to tackle the issue of motorcyclists not carrying a front number plate on their motorcycles.

Vernon Coaker: No such estimate has been made. Motorcyclists are not required to have front number plates on their vehicles, but enforcement of any offences committed by those who do not would be a matter for the police. It is not clear what specialist equipment might be of help to them in tackling such offending.

Passport Photographs

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to ensure that the four photographs marked as good in passport leaflet PLE/04 02.06 meet the criteria for  (a) size and head in proportion to the photograph size and  (b) smiling expressions.

Joan Ryan: The four photographs meet the requirements set out in the passport guidance leaflet. The heads meet the minimum and maximum size requirements, which state that the measurement from the bottom of the chin to the crown of the head must be no less than 29mm and no more than 34mm. For children aged under 11, the minimum head size requirement is 21mm.
	The leaflet stipulates that subjects must have a neutral expression. Photographs showing any facial distortion as a result of grinning or frowning are not acceptable as the facial biometric subsequently captured will be similarly distorted. The photographs depicted all display neutral expressions, but also demonstrate that this means a natural expression rather than an unnaturally sombre one.

Police Records

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what exceptional circumstances a person's request to have their  (a) DNA,  (b) fingerprint and  (c) police national computer records deleted would be granted; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: The Association of Chief Police Officers issued guidance to chief officers on the consideration of applications for the deletion of DNA samples, fingerprints and a record on the police national computer earlier this year. The then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Leigh (Andy Burnham), made a written ministerial statement on the guidance on 16 February 2006,  Official Report, column 117WS and placed copies in the Library.
	Each request for the deletion of DNA and fingerprint records is considered on its individual merits. However, exceptional circumstances which might merit deletion of these records would include situations where the arrest was unlawful or the DNA and fingerprints had been taken unlawfully or where it was later found that no crime had been committed. In the majority of cases once a request for the deletion of the DNA and fingerprint records has been granted the police national computer record would also be deleted.

Prisons

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to open the prison service's performance testing process to  (a) National Audit Office and  (b) Parliamentary scrutiny; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government are committed to a rigorous programme of performance testing as set out in 'Improving Prison and Probation Service: Public Value Partnerships' which was published in August this year. Commissioners in the National Offender Management Service will continue the programme of prison performance testing, alongside the continuous improvement work of those who run prisons. Details of the commissioner-led programme will be confirmed later in the year. All prison performance testing is open to parliamentary scrutiny via the normal procedures (including by the Home Affairs Select Committee) and is open to examination by the National Audit Office.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his assessment is of the feasibility of implementing alternative livelihood programmes in Helmand.

Hilary Benn: Effective implementation of alternative livelihoods programmes in Helmand is dependent on a secure operating environment for partners implementing those programmes. Many of those prospective partners are currently networking in Helmand, due to the perceived risks to their staff. Through its deployment of troops to the province, as part of the NATO engagement in Afghanistan, the UK is looking to create the secure environment which is needed to allow development to happen.
	DFID is through its 30 million Helmand Agriculture and Rural Development Programme, supporting the Government of Afghanistan to roll out their National Priority Programmes in Helmand province; for example, providing clean water and sanitation, and small loans. We believe that doing this through the Government of Afghanistan provides a more sustainable solution and may help mitigate some of the security risks. We have also seen some impact in Helmand from the work undertaken through the Research into Alternative Livelihoods Fund programme, particularly in terms of speciality crops and potential export of those to European markets.

Sexual and Reproductive Health

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's spending on reproductive health commodities was in 2005-06.

Gareth Thomas: Reproductive health commodity supplies are normally provided as an integral part of broader programmes to promote sexual and reproductive health and prevent HIV. DFID's data-capture systems do not, therefore, allow us specifically to isolate expenditure on them.
	However, DFID supports a number of projects which combine reproductive health commodity procurement and distribution whilst encouraging behaviour change and capacity-building. Some current examples include:
	0.5 million for adolescents to access reproductive health services in Nicaragua;
	3.93 million for condoms and hormonal contraceptives in Ethiopia;
	0.462 million for a social marketing programme to maintain family planning services in DRC;
	1.8 million for maintaining access to family planning services for women with HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe.
	DFID is one of the leading bilateral providers of condoms and other reproductive health commodities to developing countries. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that some 1 billion condoms supplied by donors were used in developing countries in 2001. Nearly half of these were provided by the UK. For the past 10 years DFID has been the fourth largest provider of condoms, supporting the distribution of about 150 million of them annually. DFID supports the work of UNFPA and The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), as well as other organisations working to promote reproductive health and family planning, including HIV prevention services. We are currently providing 80 million to UNFPA over four years, and 19.5 million to IPPF between 2004 and 2006.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Deputy Prime Minister

Michael Gove: To ask the Leader of the House pursuant to his answer of 20 July 2006,  Official Report, column 572W, on the Deputy Prime Minister, what the value of the Exchequer contribution to the Deputy Prime Minister's pension in respect of his service as an hon. Member was in each year since 1997.

Jack Straw: The pensions of Members of Parliament are met from the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund (PCPF). The value of the Exchequer's contribution to the Fund in respect of the service as a Member of my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister is the same as for any other Member in any respective year, based on a percentage of Members' salaries as decided by the House.
	The level of the Exchequer's contributions may be found in the annual accounts of the House and the reports of the triennial revaluations, which are available in the Library of the House.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Security

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the security situation in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: The 12th report of the Independent Monitoring Commission has demonstrated that Northern Ireland in 2006 is a different and vastly improved place to the Northern Ireland of 2003. These improvements to the security situation present local politicians with a real opportunity to make progress in restoring the devolved institutions.

Parades

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the parades that have taken place in Northern Ireland in 2006.

Paul Goggins: This parades season was overwhelmingly peaceful with no troops deployed on the streets of Belfast for the first time in 35 years. This was the result of the dedication and hard work of everyone involved and lays a firm foundation for a future of peaceful summers in Northern Ireland.

Independent Monitoring Commission

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he next expects to receive a report from the Independent Monitoring Commission.

Peter Hain: I have just received a report which demonstrates conclusively that the IRA has delivered its commitment in July 2005 to end its war and re-direct its activity to democratic and peaceful ends.

National Stadium

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress on developing a national stadium for Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: A multi-sports stadium for Northern Ireland is being actively considered. Its viability has been established and a location identified. The three sports invited to participate have agreed in principle to the proposal. Consideration is currently being given to design and affordability issues.

Peace Process

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on recent developments in the peace process.

Peter Hain: The summit at St. Andrews, which will commence later today, will bring together the two Governments and the Northern Ireland parties in a bid to resolve outstanding issues and secure the restoration of the institutions before the November deadline. The summit follows the publication of the Twelfth Report of the IMC, which provided the clearest indication yet that the IRA has eschewed terrorism and other forms of crime, and provides an opportunity for real progress to be made.

Northern Ireland Assembly

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the future of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

David Hanson: Substantial progress has been made in recent months including a report of the Independent Monitoring Commission which opens the way to a settlement at the summit at St. Andrews that will start later today.

Political Sanctions

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 28 June 2006,  Official Report, column 250, what steps he plans to take against parties in the Northern Ireland Executive which do not support the police.

David Hanson: None, as the policy for political parties is a matter for them. I personally believe that all the parties should comply with the rule of law and support the police, especially those holding ministerial office in a restored Northern Ireland Executive who should also abide by the terms of the pledge of office, which commits them to non-violence and exclusively peaceful and democratic means.

House Price Taxation

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the impact on residents of introducing house price taxation under a discrete capital value basis in Northern Ireland from April 2007; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: Extensive analysis has been undertaken and published on the effects of the revaluation on a capital value basis. In addition, ratepayers have received valuation notifications which show the impact the changes would have had on individual bills this year.

Fireworks

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many serious injuries were caused due to fireworks in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: Information on the number of serious injuries that were caused due to fireworks in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years is not available. However, information on the number of people injured as a result of fireworks over the Halloween period, in Northern Ireland, for the years 2001 to 2005 is available and is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of patients reporting with firework injuries 
			 2005 86 
			 2004 55 
			 2003 45 
			 2002 38 
			 2001 136 
			  Source: Annual Departmental Return, FWK1

Parliamentary Questions

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the answer of 25 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1414W, on parliamentary questions, which questions tabled by the hon. Member for Upper Bann were answered on the basis of drafts prepared by the British Irish Inter-Governmental Secretariat.

Peter Hain: At the time of my previous answer 25 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1414W, three parliamentary questions tabled by the hon. Gentleman had been referred to Northern Ireland Office staff in the British Irish Inter-Governmental Secretariat for draft reply.
	They were as follows:
	 Order Book: 9 March 2006
	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he had with (a) the Government of the Republic of Ireland and (b) the Republic of Ireland police force on the Northern Ireland victims' march in Dublin on 25 February. 57624
	 Order Book: 8 May 2006
	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2006, Official Report, column 508W, on the victims' march (Dublin), whether he has had any discussions with Republic of Ireland authorities on the attacks upon citizens of Northern Ireland while in Dublin.
	 Order Book: 14 July 2006
	To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2006, Official Report, column 1187W, on the victims' march (Dublin), what assurances he sought from ministers of the Irish Republic (a) about the safety of Northern Ireland citizens while in Dublin in the future and (b) regarding the prosecution of people identified as being involved in the attacks upon citizens of Northern Ireland in Dublin on 25 February 2006. 84760

PSNI Staff (Iraq and Afghanistan)

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Police Service of Northern Ireland employees are working in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Paul Goggins: There is currently one PSNI officer serving in Iraq and one PSNI officer serving in Afghanistan.

Sexual Violence Strategy

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 26 January 2006,  Official Report, column 2330W, on the Sexual Violence Strategy, what progress has been made with the strategy.

Paul Goggins: We will shortly issue a consultation document and expect to publish the final strategy in April 2007 as planned.

PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Expenditure

Grant Shapps: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  how much was spent by his Office in respect of hotel and other similar privately-provided accommodation  (a) in the UK and  (b) abroad for (i) staff and (ii) other persons in each year since 2001-02;
	(2)  how much was spent by his Office on food and alcohol for its staff working out of office in each year since 2001-02.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my Office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Hilary Armstrong) today.

Entertainment Costs

John Hayes: To ask the Prime Minister what has been the total cost from public funds of social functions held in 10 Downing Street since May 1997; how many bottles of wine have been consumed; and how many such functions have taken place.

David Amess: To ask the Prime Minister which official events have been held in 2006 at 10 Downing street to which  (a) hon. Members and  (b) officials were invited where the total numbers present exceeded 25.

Tony Blair: For information on official and charity receptions I refer the hon. Members to the answer given to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 17 March 2006,  Official Report, column 2581W and to the answer given by my noble Friend Lord Bassam of Brighton to the noble Lord Hanningfield on 21 July 2005,  Official Report, column 261W. I also refer the hon. Members to the written ministerial statement I made on 2 February 2005,  Official Report, columns 57-61WS.
	I have placed a list of official and charity receptions held at 10 Downing street between February 2002 and December 2004 in the Library of the House.
	For 2005-06, the total cost of official and charity receptions held by the Prime Minister at 10 Downing street and Chequers was 101,178.
	Information on official and charity receptions held at 10 Downing street during 2006-07 will be published by means of an annual list as soon as it is ready at the end of the financial year.
	These events consist of official dinners and events for foreign leaders and other dignitaries, receptions for business leaders, community and charity representatives and sportsmen and women. In the past few years, an increased programme of events at Downing street has been introduced in order to give access to as many people as possible, including children's tea parties and regular receptions for a wide cross-section of the community.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Nuclear Security

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will instruct the Director for Civil Nuclear Security to evaluate the adequacy of security protection plans for trains carrying irradiated spent nuclear fuel while in sidings awaiting forward movement to Sellafield.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government recognise the particular security concerns that the transportation of spent nuclear fuel give rise to. For this reason, the security of nuclear materials and process is independently regulated by the Office for Civil Nuclear Security, and kept under constant scrutiny.
	The transportation of spent nuclear fuel is carried out in a secure manner, in accordance with stringent security regulationsthe Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003 (NISR). These regulations are administered and enforced by the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS).
	The security of the transportation of civil nuclear material is regularly reviewed in light of the prevailing threat. OCNS is satisfied that the measures in place to prevent theft or sabotage are adequately robust, and that in the event that a credible threat were detected, appropriate action would be taken.

Overseas Trade

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on UK trade relations with  (a) Brazil,  (b) Colombia and  (c) Bolivia.

Ian McCartney: The information is as follows:
	 Brazil
	Brazil is the UK's largest trading partner in Latin America. In 2005 UK exports to Brazil were valued at 840 million, a 6 per cent. increase over 2004. This growth has continued in the first four months of 2006 with a further 12 per cent. increase.
	UK Trade and Investment has recognised in its recently published strategy, 'Prosperity in a Changing World', the importance of enhancing the UK's trade and economic relationships with emerging markets such as Brazil. This was given practical effect when the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry recently visited Brazil and chaired with his Brazilian counterpart the first meeting of the UK-Brazil Joint Economic and Trade Committee.
	The Trade and Industry Committee is currently examining the difficulties and opportunities for UK businesses looking to trade or forge investment links with Brazil. The Committee is expected to report its findings in the first half of 2007.
	 Colombia
	Colombia is the UK's fifth largest market in South America. The UK's share of the Colombian market is currently around 1 per cent., with exports of goods and services in 2005 valued at 192 million. The UK's main exports are specialised industrial machinery, power generating machinery and equipment and beverages.
	The UK is one of the largest foreign investors with investments in excess of $10 billion. UK companies are particularly active in oil and gas, mining, pharmaceuticals and insurance.
	 Bolivia
	Bi-lateral trade is small. UK exports in 2005 were worth 11.2 million (goods only). The main export items were general industrial machinery, equipment and machine parts and organic chemicals. Several large UK companies operate in Bolivia, particularly in the hydrocarbons sector. UK direct investment in Bolivia is about $800m.

Special Advisers

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what  (a) qualifications and  (b) previous experience the special advisers to his Department have.

Margaret Hodge: Special advisers are appointed under terms and conditions set out in the code of conduct for special advisers and bring a wide range of expertise and experience to the job.
	Information relating to an individual's qualifications and previous employment is a personal matter between them and their employer.

TRANSPORT

Car Tax

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much revenue has been generated by the premium rate phone line used for the renewal of car tax since its introduction.

Stephen Ladyman: The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVLA) first introduced its Electronic Vehicle Licensing in February 2004, and this service was nationally launched in January 2006. The following provides a breakdown of revenue generated by the premium rate line used for the renewal of car tax since its introduction:
	
		
			   Total () 
			 February 2004-March 2004 57.38 
			 April 2004-March 2005 33,275.00 
			 April 2005-March 2006 151,340.10 
			 April 2006-August 2006 167,668.60

Departmental Staff

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many disabled people were hired by his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available; what percentage of the overall workforce these figures represented in each year; and how many disabled people left their employment in his Department over the same period.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport was established in 2002 following Machinery of Government changes. The Cabinet Office publishes statistics on staffing facts and figures across the Civil Service. The Cabinet Office reports for the Department of Transport and its agencies reflect the following for disabled staff:
	
		
			   New entrants  Percentage of overall workforce  Disabled entrants as percentage of all entrants  Number leaving 
			 2002-03 20 0.13 1.5 50 
			 2003-04 40 0.24 2.1 60 
			 2004-05 40 0.23 2.8 60 
		
	
	It should be noted that there is no requirement for staff to register as disabled. Information supplied about disabilities is on a voluntary basis so the above figures may not reflect the true picture.

Disability Equality

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he has made an assessment of which policy areas will be considered in his report on progress towards disability equality within the Department's policy sector which is due to be published in December 2008;
	(2)  what information gathering and other actions his Department and other relevant bodies are taking to inform the public on the production of the report on progress towards disability equality within his Department's policy sector;
	(3)  what methods are used to involve disabled people in the production of his Department's disability equality scheme;
	(4)  when and how he plans to publish the disability equality scheme for his Department; and in what formats.

Gillian Merron: The information gathered to review the effectiveness of the Department's disability equality action plan will help identify progress and determine policies which the Secretary of State will include in his tri-annual report in 2008.
	The public will be informed on the production of the report on progress towards disability equality within the transport sector via the development of a disability panel, involvement of those engaged in the development of the scheme, and its own communications strategy.
	We have always recognised the importance of involving disabled people who might be affected by our policies in their formulation. The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC), as our statutory advisers on the public passenger transport needs of disabled people, have proved an invaluable resource during policy development. In producing our disability equality scheme we have also worked in partnership with several national disability organisations and conducted a number of discussion groups covering a range of disabilities, topics and geographical areas.
	The Department for Transport will publish its disability equality scheme and action plan on or before 4 December. The scheme will be published on the departmental website and as a hard copy in 14 April. Other formats of the publication will be made available, e.g. easy read, large print and audio.

Form V11

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the accuracy of the information contained on DVLA Form V11; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) regularly reviews its forms (including the V11) on behalf of the Secretary of State, to ensure that the information contained is accurate. The name and address details printed on the V11 reflect the information held on DVLA's vehicle register.

Secure Stations Scheme

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether railway stations at  (a) Cheam and  (b) Belmont will receive accreditation under the Secure Stations Scheme.

Tom Harris: Cheam railway station is planned to be assessed for accreditation in November 2006, while Belmont railway station will be assessed for accreditation in early 2007.

Traffic Management Act

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Traffic Management Act 2004 will be implemented fully.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport is currently implementing several parts of the Act to a published timetable. This is available at
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/page/dft
	The latest date specified in this timetable is 2008, although implementation dates for some later aspects of the timetable have yet to be finalised.

WALES

Departmental Carbon Emissions

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what estimate he has made of the total carbon emission from his Department's buildings in each year since 1997.

Peter Hain: When the Wales Office came into being in July 1999 its estate was managed within the National Assembly for Wales. In June 2003 the Wales Office became a separate entity within the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA). As such it has not had its own figures separate from the DCA totals.
	The Wales Office is now looking for itself at ways to reduce our carbon emissions as much as possible. It had a separate Carbon Trust report undertaken in May 2006 to advise how we could account better for energy costs and reduce both them and carbon emissions. The recommendations are being taken forward.

Departmental Expenditure

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Office spent on organising and hosting conferences in the last 12 months.

Peter Hain: Nil.

Departmental Expenditure

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on taxis in the last 12 months.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office has spent 2,596.85 on taxis in the last 12 months.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support Agency

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what will be the design caseload capacity of the proposed new child support system; and what proportion of the caseload he expects to be made up of existing claimants re-applying for maintenance.

James Plaskitt: We are carrying out an intensive programme of work to decide the best way forward including more analysis to assess the most appropriate way to enable existing clients to move to private arrangements or make a claim under the new system. We plan to publish final, detailed proposals in a White Paper in the autumn.

Neurological Conditions

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people  (a) with and  (b) without neurological conditions were participating in work-related activities and work-based adult learning and job brokering programmes on the Pathways scheme in the last three years.

Jim Murphy: The information is in the following table:
	
		
			   Neurological condition  Non-Neurological condition  Medical condition unknown( 1)  Total 
			 Number of individuals starting Pathways to Work 3,660 114,500 79,080 197,230 
			  Of which participated in: 
			 Work-related activities 20 310 260 590 
			 Work-based adult learning 10 410 210 640 
			 Job brokering programmes 320 9,150 2,970 12,430 
			 (1) Job brokering programmes: Data is for the number of people registering with a New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) Job Broker.   Notes: 1. The statistics quoted in this response are taken from the Pathways to Work Evaluation Database.  2. Figures are cumulative totals from the inception of Pathways in October 2003 to the end of February 2006.  3. All figures have been rounded to the nearest ten.  4. A neurological condition is a disorder of the central and/or peripheral nervous system. This can include disorders of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves and muscles etc.  5. Work-related activities: Data is for the number of individuals participating in WORKSTEP, Work Preparation and Work Trials. We do not have robust information on the number of individuals participating in Permitted Work.  6. Work-based adult learning: Data is for the number of individuals starting Work Based Learning for Adults.  7. Medical conditions may be unknown because: Not all Pathways participants claim IB (they may claim Income Support with a Disability Premium) and medical condition is only recorded for those claiming IB; or The National Benefits Database lags behind other Pathways to Work Evaluation Database sources by some three to four months. This means that the database does not contain information on the medical condition of customers starting Pathways in later months; or IB data from the NBD is based on a six-weekly snapshot, which means that some short-term IB claims of less than six weeks never appear on the database. This means that we do not have medical condition information for some customers who have claimed IB for less than six weeks. 8. The National Benefits Database only includes information on a customer's primary medical condition despite the fact that often people will have more than one medical condition.

Pension Credit

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what circumstances property maintenance and service charges can enhance individual entitlement to pension credit.

James Purnell: An extra amount for housing costs can be paid in addition to the standard amount in pension credit, for those costs not covered by either housing benefit or council tax benefit. The housing costs covered include service charges that cover such essentials as management fees, insurance, minor repairs and the cleaning of communal areas; and interest on loans that were taken out to finance essential repairs and improvements, such as the provision or repair of necessary bathroom fixtures such as a bath and wash basin.

Pensions

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost to the Exchequer of granting an additional 1,000 per annum to each pensioner.

James Purnell: The estimated figure for the number of persons above state pension age during the financial year 2006-07 for Great Britain is 11.3 million and paying each of them 1,000 will cost around 11.3 billion.
	 Note:
	The expenditure figure is in 2006-07 price terms and takes no account of changes in tax or entitlement to income-related benefits.
	 Source:
	GAD 2004 population projections

Pensions

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the effect on expenditure of incorporating the winter fuel allowance and the cost of free television licences into the basic state pension.

James Purnell: Winter fuel payments and free television licences are made to households rather than individuals, whereas the basic state pension is paid to individuals. It would not therefore be possible to consolidate them directly into the basic state pension in such a way that no losses occurred to individuals. However, as an indication of scale the total forecast expenditure for 2006-07 on winter fuel payments is 2,027 million and on free television licences is 482 million. If this expenditure were incorporated into the basic state pension in 2006-07 it would result in a one-off increase of 5 per cent. or around 4 per week.
	 Notes:
	1. Figures are in 2005-06 prices and rounded to the nearest  million.
	2. Figures for Winter Fuel Payments are for GB.
	3. Figures for television licences are for UK.